A/N: for the record, I hate using the first-person pov in fanfiction because I hate pretending to be the characters themselves. it's just not my thing. so I'll give you a capital SORRY if this seems unrealistic/unprofessional/etc. because this kind of narrative is not my thing.


You used to tell me how much you hate this place. The run-down structure. The irresponsible supervisor. The screwed-up occupants. You swore that you would dig your way out of here if it were the last thing you did, something a prisoner would say about jail. You even hung up a calligraphy sign on your wall that stated your desperate intent to escape.

But as time went on, I saw your resolve fading. The amount of fliers for the cats began dwindling until they stopped altogether. That determined resentment towards this place grew into something like regret, and soon, you quit complaining about the odd residents. I saw your efforts to escape grow weaker and weaker. You tried to deny it, but it was obvious.

You grew fond of this place.

At first I couldn't see why. Why would anyone want to live in such a place? You once introduced me to some of your dorm mates back in freshmen year, and they didn't strike me as people you could tolerate on a daily basis. How many honest, good-hearted guys can stand living under the same roof with an eccentric alien, a flamboyant playboy, and a mysterious computer genius that never left his room? And on top of that, the supervisor was the infamously careless and laziest teacher in the school.

And then there was her. At first I might have sort of kind of possibly maybe misunderstood your relationship just a little bit, but when it was cleared up after I moved in, it actually left me more confused. You already had more cats than you could manage, and yet now you had a human pet? For someone who had insecurities about his blank future, it seemed strange for you to willingly look after such an incapable girl. I admit, my first assumption was not a PG-rated one, and nor was it fair. I saw that you honestly cared for her like a parent to a kid, a pet to its master.

But why?

I knew you were always kind, always forgiving, always compassionate; all those stray cats were enough proof. But you never wanted it to happen, right? You dreaded seeing another abandoned cat, dreaded hearing another pitiful meow, dreaded cutting through the park at night because you would always find some kind of cardboard box in the shadows of the playground. You wanted to avoid that inescapable binding to a pet as much as you could, even though rotten luck had chased you into a corner. Was she just another one of those cats you couldn't leave behind? Was that why you decided to stay?

No, no. What a selfish thought. You didn't stay out of pity. You didn't stay because you felt you had to protect her. Well, not entirely, at least. You had bigger dreams of your own, a desire to excel your dreams and build them up alongside these artistic masterminds. While rumors flew about the 'troubled' residents, you were the only normal student to witness what kind of people — not aliens or playboys or shut-ins — lived here. You adjusted to life here in your own way, accepting the bizarre behavior of your unique dorm mates while maintaining your sanity and character.

Sakurasou became your home. Your sanctuary.

And I could never thank you enough for inviting me here.